


Tales of Altea

by Methoxyethane



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Altean Lance (Voltron), Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Arranged Marriage, Galra Keith (Voltron), M/M, Rivals to Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2020-04-07 12:23:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19084957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Methoxyethane/pseuds/Methoxyethane
Summary: Lance had not been looking forward to meeting his fiancé. Prince Keith ends up being both better and worse than he could have ever imagined.





	1. Chapter 1

Lance inhaled a deep breath of air, adjusting the ends of his sleeves nervously.

“Just be yourself,” his mother assured him, petting down his hair like he hadn’t spent an hour fixing it this morning. “I know you two haven’t gotten a chance to meet each other before now, but your fathers decided on this match a long time ago because we think you two will suit each other. Just relax, and I’m sure Prince Keith will love you for exactly who you are.”

Yeah, like THAT’S what Lance was worried about. He’d seen plenty of Galra in his day, and even if his intended was supposed to be half Altean the only mental image Lance was capable of conjuring up of his fiancé was of an eight foot tall fuzzy purple monster. Or worse, one of the scaley ones who looked like lizards…

Was lance really supposed to live the rest of his life married to one of those things? Like, flirting with a Galra here or there was fine, maybe even a makeout session, but like. This was Lance’s LIFE. If he didn’t get along with whoever this beast of a husband of his was going to be, there was pretty much zero chance at love or romance for the rest of his entire Altean LIFE.

He stepped into the courtyard where they were supposed to meet, leaving his mother behind to go meet his destiny. God, even if they weren’t cute please let them be normal and not all war-crazy and bloodthirsty like that guy from the War council…

Under an archway full of roses Lance could see someone’s back, and his first thought wasn’t that this was his fiancé but some lost Altean soldier in the wrong place at the wrong time. They just weren’t tall enough to be Galra, and even the short ones rarely had a full head of normal hair like whoever this was. Lance was just about to ask if they were sure they were in the right place when the stranger turned around and Lance actually saw their face.

The first thought Lance had was not ‘Oh nevermind, this is a Galra after all.’ That was only around somewhere in the third or fourth thing he registered, after his first reaction of ‘Jesus Christ look at those  _ eyes _ .’

When the mysterious stranger whom Lance may or may not be supposed to marry looked at him, Lance lost all the breath he’d been holding in to a gasp. Pale peach-violet skin and sparkling deep purple eyes, the softest looking lips Lance had ever seen all framed in a perfect wave of silky black hair. He was so gorgeous Lance was stunned, practically knocked right off his own feet.

There was no way this was his fiancé, right? No way he could be so lucky this vision of beauty was here for him, no way he got to get married to someone so stunning. Lance had met thousands of people from hundreds of races, and no one had ever stood a chance compared to…

“Uh, Prince Lance?” The stranger asked tentatively. “I’m Keith.”

“Y-yeah! That’s me!” Lance stumbled forward, instantly cursing himself for his own clumsiness in the face of this most important first impression. Maybe he hadn’t screwed up too badly yet, it was only ten seconds in, right? 

He got close enough to properly greet Keith and leaned forward in a bow. “Prince Lance of Altea,” He introduced himself, standing up again. 

And then, because he was trying to be suave, he took Keith’s hand in his not for a handshake, but to bond down and place a chaste kiss upon the back of his knuckle.

Keith snatched his hand back like it had been burned, face flushing a dee purple as he scolded in a biting tone, “What the hell are you doing, just kissing me out of nowhere like that! We only just  _ met _ !”

Lance backpedaled, rather literally as he took a few steps away from Keith again. “W-what? It was just a greeting!”

“Don’t you know anything about Galran culture?” Keith practically hissed. “Did you not even bother to learn anything about us when you knew you were going to be marrying one?”

Oh, that was it, this guy was WAY less charming than he looked. Nevermind lucky, Lance was just screwed, wasn’t he? “Well did you bother to learn anything about MY culture, either?! Maybe you’d have known that’s how we greet our fiancés and not be a complete SPAZZ about it!”

Keith’s pretty face warped into a disgusted scowl, looking Lance up and down like he was lower than the scum on the bottom of his shoe. “Can you even tell I’m half Altean, or are you as blind as you are stupid?”

“You still lived on Daibazaal your whole life, and you CLEARLY don’t know simple royal customs, so who the hell’s the stupid one now?!” Lance growled out, already ready to take a direct swing at this, his betrothed. 

Keith looked ready to do the same, lip curled up in a snarl to show off the point of his (adorable) canine fangs as his hands balled into fists at his side.

“Wow,” a deep voice said from behind Keith, and Lance noticed for the first time that they were no longer alone. “I wanted to spy on my little brother to see how he was doing, but I didn’t expect you’d make  _ this _ good of a first impression, Keith.”

The man was a full blooded Galra, handsome as hell with a single scar running across his nose. This must be the legendary Prince Shiro then, Zarkon’s oldest grandson and direct heir to the throne.

Keith instantly looked ashamed, gaze tearing from Lance to land down at his own feet, face flush with humiliation at his own short temper. “He’s still an ass.”

“You started it!” Lance tried to defend, only for Prince Shiro to sigh and place a hand on Keith’s shoulder. 

“I think that’s enough for now, boys. Why don’t we all cool our head and try again at dinner time.”

Keith huffed out a disgusted little sigh, but nodded in agreement. “I still won’t apologize.”

“Good,” Lance said as the two Galran princes walked away. “That makes two of us!”

—

So needless to say, the first meeting went a little… rough. But honestly, Keith was still probably better than anything he could have hoped for, so Lance had to suck it up and try again to be civil.

They, uh… Didn’t end up talking at all during dinner. They were seated right next to each other in the dining hall, all huge white walls and absolute silence because both of their entire families were sitting literally three feet away and both of them were too terrified of disappointing them to risk talking when the only thing they had in common so far was not liking one another. 

The wedding, as scheduled, was one month away. Lance had that much time to figure out how to live with this stranger he was supposed to call his husband.

So. Attempt number two, after dinner. The two of them took a walk together in the gardens, just around sunset to get a nice romantic atmosphere. 

Positive. Now was the time to do something positive for Keith, something to show, if not that he was sorry for earlier, at least that he was willing to try and be less of an ass in the future. 

There was a little small talk now that they were alone, about what life was like on each of their homes. Aside from princely diplomacy most of Keith’s time was taken up fighting in his grandfather’s army, and apparently he saw fit to mention that his favorite weapon was his knife, which okay? Lance didn’t need to know, but maybe Keith like. Really super liked his knife or something.

“I was going to join the army like my father,” Lance said sitting down at the edge of the fountain. Keith joined him, sitting down beside Lance on the edge of the water. “I even got as far as basic training, learned to use a rifle and everything. But then…”

He found on the ground beside the fountain a stray flower, already withered and dying with age. He plucked it, making sure that it was in Keith’s view as he continued, “As I was in training and getting stronger, my magic got stronger, too. And I found out that I’m actually much better at healing than fighting.”

He activated just a tiny bit of his magic, feeling the marks on his cheeks glow with effort as the flower re-bloomed in between his fingers. He offered it to Keith, finishing with “...So I changed course and switched to medical school to learn to become a healer.”

Keith looked suitably impressed, eyes gone wide and staring at the now faintly-glowing flower with awe. His eyes were so big and shiny, Lance really got lost in them now that he had a chance to look…

“That’s incredible,” Keith said, just the tiniest of smiles curling his lips as he watched the flower sparkle with the remains of Lance’s magic. “And your father let you? Quit the army to become a doctor?”

“Sure,” Lance shrugged. “It’s what I really wanted, and a good healer is a really valuable thing to have. I can still re-join the army after med school, if I needed to. Which I guess I need to decide soon, since I’m almost graduated.” He was pretty sure the timing of his fiancé’s sudden appearance after living in Daibazaal all his life had to do with this auspicious occasion.

“What about you?” Lance asked, realizing he really didn’t know what actually living on Daibazaal must have been like. “Were you a part of your grandfather's army?”

“ _ Everyone _ is a part of my grandfather’s army,” Keith said with a tone of finality. “But since I’m part Altean, I also got a chance to study with the druids for a little while. It’s not much, but…”

He held up one hand, which began to glow with an unfamiliar purple light in the middle of Keith’s palm. Out of it formed a bolt of purple lighting, and Keith sputtered out a short “Uh-oh,” before it burst out of his hand and forward, exploding the against the flower in Lance’s fingers and obliterating it into space dust. 

Lance yelped in surprise, jolting backwards away from the lightning and falling back into the fountain with a splash. Keith gasped at first, but then seeing Lance sitting up and looking like a surprised drowned rat, ended up bursting out laughing.

What the fuck. Did he do that on purpose?! “You dick!” Lance shouted at him, reaching forward to tug Keith into the fountain with him before he could even manage a stuttered apology.

Keith fell forward instead of back, nearly knocking his head on the fountain’s statue as he toppled onto Lance, water pouring onto his back.

Both of them were successfully soaking wet now, and Lance discovered that not only was Keith short, but slim and lightweight enough that he wasn’t uncomfortable even laying on Lance’s body like this. 

They caught eyes, and for a moment, neither of them moved. He really was pretty, for an annoying Galra jerk. So pretty it took Lance a few seconds of stupidly staring as his glistening wet form before he remembered who he was admiring and shoved him off and back into the water, standing up with a huff.

What kind of asshole exploded the flower you were trying to give them just for the sake of laughing at their own fiancé?! He didn’t care WHAT their families said, there was no way this was gonna work between he and Keith!


	2. Chapter 2

So as it was, as much as they wanted to be able to avoid each other from there on out, they had no choice but to remain in each other’s company. Be it that they were now seated together for every meal or that they were expected to make public appearances together, there was just no escaping Keith or this engagement.

At first it had just been photo ops, which were bad enough since all the directors and photographers wanted them to play all lovey dovey and have Lance swooning into Keith’s arms or other ridiculous shit like that. But now it was real publicity stunts and events, and the first one was to visit a children’s hospital together. All in the name of good face, of course.

The children’s hospital was in town near the castle, but it was still a long enough trip that they couldn't hope to walk it in time. They took a pair of hoverbikes, close enough and slow enough that they could hear one another speaking over the sound of the wind.

Not that they actually had anything to say. Every conversation the two started ended in bickering, and right now Lance wasn’t in the mood to get into another argument with his grumpy Galran fiancé.

“How far out are we riding?” Keith asked, hair swishing out of his face and showing off his too-pretty face.

“About a half hour,” Lance answered, yanking his eyes away from Keith to concentrate on the road. “It’s in the city but there’s a backroad we’ll be taking to avoid anybody traffic.”

Traffic in their case being particularly bad, as it gave someone time to recognize either Keith or Lance for their royal heritage and bother them. Not like hover bikes had tinted windows.

“If there’s not gonna be traffic,” Keith revved his engine, which wasn’t even a thing hoverbikes were supposed to be able to do. “Why are we going so slow?”

“Cause there’s still speed limits,” Lance answered with a frown, eyebrows drawing together in dawning worry. “We’re not above the law just because we’re royalty, you know.”

“Then we’ll face the consequences if we get caught.” Keith shrugged, a dangerous smirk on his face. “Just don’t get caught.”

With that he didn’t even wait for Lance to react, just took off speeding past Lance with a whoosh of wind mussing up his once-perfect hair. “Oh no you didn’t you little -” And followed after, chasing his irritating fiancé with the slam of a pedal. 

The wind hit his face, and in a few seconds Lance had all but caught just to Keith, chasing him neck and neck on the narrow road towards the city. 

The speed, the wind, the excitement, was all so thrilling, it couldn’t help but make Lance grin. He might have forgotten about Keith if the other man wasn’t right there beside him, grinning even harder than Lance until they were both laughing joyously into the open road.

Lance won, but only because he was the one who actually knew where they were going. The got to the hospital with smiles on their faces, which was a damned good thing because it was exactly the mood they needed to visit the kids.

Lance had always loved this kind of charity work, loved connecting with people one on one. He wasn’t the crown prince so his face wasn’t recognizable as his older sister Allura’s was, but that only made it easier to navigate ad easier to make a new impression when he met the people.

He’d expected Keith to be sullen and awkward, and at first he kind of had been. But he had opened up to the kids little by little, and soon had been smiling and playing with them with almost the ease that Lance was. He was still weird, it seemed like the kids only liked that about him, and something about watching him… for the first time, Lance was proud to have this person as his fiancé. 

Just for a moment, until he’d remembered basically everything Keith had ever said or done to him.

—

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do, Hunk. I’ve only got two weeks left to figure out how to get out of marrying this guy, or I’m stuck with an unreasonable Galran grump of a husband for the rest of TIME!”

“I dunno dude,” Hunk said. “I think you might be stuck marrying him no matter what. I don’t think two weeks is enough time to get out of a marriage your parents have been planning since you were six. Why didn’t you try to get out of it like… BEFORE now?”

Lance slumped into a flop on the grass. “I never actually thought anyone was planning on going through with this, so I forgot about it. I mean an arranged marriage is one thing, but he’s… He’s so…!!”

“Galra?” Hunk offered with a hint of uncertainty.

“EXACTLY!” Lance complained loudly. Hunk knew everything. That’s why when he’d finished his own basic training instead of going further into the army, the diplomats had gotten a hold of him to teach him about foreign policy and schmoozing the politicians they got coming in from other planets. When Allura took over as queen someday, he’d probably be her advisor or something equally important and awesome.

That or he’d say fuck everyone and go back to get his engineering degree. If Hunk actually LIKED anything in this world, it was building stuff and feeding his friends. If there was a way to combine both jobs into one, he’d be the greatest man in all Altea. Too bad Coran and the others had seen “potential” in him and he had to go fulfill his greater destiny like Lance did.

Hunk and Lance were in the gardens now, and easy to find when Melenor and Krolia appeared in the castle doorway looming like well-dressed phantoms. Whenever he and Keith’s moms showed up, it was never good news. 

“Lance darling, we’ve got a guest from Daibazaal who’s come down for the wedding. You and Keith will show him around, won’t you?” Lance’s mother said, smile glowing like the absolute queen she was.

There was no arguing with that look on her face. There was even less arguing with Krolia, who frankly scared the absolute shit out of Lance even on a good day.

By the time Lance got to the landing bay where guests parked their ships, Keith was already there and practically vibrating with excitement. Lance didn’t even have time to ask what had his knickers in a twist before the door to the small ship was opening, and a man who didn’t look any more like a real Galra than Keith did stepped off of his ship and into the castle. 

“Lotor!” Keith grinned in excitement, and all of Lance’s body wound up tight like a jack in the box ready to spring as Keith all but ran forward to give the man a hug. “I never thought I’d see you again, when I left!”

“I could hardly miss my dearest friend’s only wedding could I?” The Lotor said back, and he and Lance caught eyes at just the exact moment Lotor reached down to pet Keith’s hair. “Assuming it  _ is _ the only time you ever get married, of course.”

“Oh what the fuck,” Lance grumbled, only loud enough for Hunk right next to himto hear. “Who does this guy think he is, touching another man’s fiancé like that?!” 

Hunk rolled his eyes so hard it was audible. 

Lotor, as it turned out, was the only son of Zarkon’s most trusted advisor/terrifying magic person Honerva, and any rumors of his parentage being Zarkon himself were squashed when Honerva married Sendak and everyone figured… Yeah, it’s probably that guy, then. 

And the reason any of this mattered at all was because as the only other half Altean in Emperor Zarkon’s palace, Keith explained excitedly over dinner, he and Lotor were had become close friends. Wasn’t that just wonderful for them.

So Keith's best friend whom he was uncomfortably close with had appeared out of nowhere, too. Could this get any worse?

“Or you could like,” Hunk suggested later on, “Use this guy to maybe get out of that marriage you were just going on about? Like maybe if you talk to Keith and make up some story about Lotor coming into steal Keith away from you and elope, both of you could get out of this at once. This is literally the opportunity you were just looking for.”

“I’m not letting some snob like that STEAL my fiancé from me!” Lance declared, slamming his fist down on the table in is bedroom. “I’d look like a total loser for the rest of my life! I’d rather get married than have someone like LOTOR shatter my pride like that!”

“Welp, I can’t help if you’re an idiot,” Hunk reasoned with a final shrug, heading towards the door. “Good luck with your fiancé, dude.”

“I’m not an idiot!” Lance shouted back at the emptying doorway as Hunk left. “I’m just…” 

Screwed, probably.

  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to LegendofChel for feeding me half the ideas or more I use in this fic

Hunk had a point though. Lance didn’t like anything about this Lotor guy or the situation with him and Keith, but he knew this was an opportunity. He could totally use this as a way to get out of a bad situation.

Either way he had to keep an eye on this situation. If everything failed and in two weeks he really DID marry Keith, then if he was having some affair with Lotor it would look terrible for his reputation! He couldn't have a husband who cheated on him, after all!

So, Lance maybe started following Keith around when he was with Lotor. You know, from a discreet distance, so he wouldn't be caught! Lance had years of training in following his big sister around as a little kid, he was totally equipped to handle a little light stalking.

Not that it was stalking! He was gathering information, is all! Not the same as stalking, not even a little bit. Lance was totally confident in what he was doing.

And what he was doing was watching confused as Keith and Lotor pulled out their respective swords and started to fight.

Oh right, Lance remembered. They were both still in the army, and had a reason to keep up with daily battle training like this. Still, when Lance actually looked at Keith’s face he looked… mMore relaxed than Lance had ever seen him before. He seemed to really be having fun, his whole face was lit up with excitement when Lotor countered or parried his every move.

It made Lance wanna fight against Keith, to be the one his whole focus was centered on like that… Too bad right now if he even tried he’d get his ass kicked. He’d better beef up his regular training if he wanted to keep up with monsters like these two.

For now, it was enough to strut forward out of his hiding place and towards Keith and Lotor, confidently stating that he needed to speak with Keith. At least, that was the plan. Reality consisted more of stumbling out from around the corner and yelping out a high-pitched, “Keith! I -um,” and then tripping over his own feet to nearly plummet to the floor. 

He didn’t fall, because he grabbed the nearest thing to him in an attempt to catch himself so instead both of them crashed lightly into the nearest wall. Unfortunately for him that nearest thing was Keith, and the two of them ended up with Lance effectively pinning Keith to the wall with his body.

He straightened up and got off Keith, hands still braced on the wall on either side of Keith’s head. From this close it was easy to watch Keith’s eyes flutter back open to stare up at Lance, pouty lips opening to ask, “What did you need, Lance?”

Lance just started at Keith, whom he didn’t think he’d even been this close to before. The points of his little butterfly ears were so cute….

“Yes, my Prince,” Lotor interrupted in a voice that held little respect for the title. “What, praytell, did you need?”

“Um!” Lance panicked, flailing backwards away from Keith. “Our moms are asking for us?”

Keith nodded, saying his goodbyes to Lotor. Lotor gave him a bow, eyeing Lance mistrustfully as he bid the two of them off with a final, “If you need me, don’t be afraid to call for me.”

Keith laughed. “What would I need you for? I’m just going with Lance.”

When they were alone, Keith asked him what their mothers wanted them for. Which, since that had been a lie Lance had made up to excuse why he felt the need to interrupt Keith and Lotor, he didn’t have an answer to.

“They don’t need us,” Lance admitted finally, just because he knew Lotor was finally out of earshot and couldn't therefor humiliate him. “I just wanted to get you alone for a minute.”

Keith looked at him curiously. “What for?”

Lance swallowed, feeling weirdly nervous all of a sudden. “I just thought we should arrange some sort of… date? To get to know each other a little better. Before we have to get married, I mean.”

Keith smiled, and it was… stupid pretty. It made Lance angry with how pretty it was. “That’s a great idea, Lance.”

There, that hadn’t been so hard, had it? He’d done it, and now he had a date with Keith.

Even though… the goal had been to try to and break up the betrothal to him. Oh god damn it.

—

Still, If Lance was gonna set up a date for them, he was gonna set up a great one damn it. He already knew Keith had a need for speed so he figured taking the hoverbikes out for fun would be a good start, maybe get some dinner after when they were actually alone and could hope to talk to each other without thinking about their moms sitting four feet away.

On the day of the actual date… orf meeting or whatever it was, they decided to meet earlier and have lunch before they went out riding. When Lance suggested that was the plan, by the way, Keith got another one of those stupid-pretty smiles Lance hated so much.

Lance decided on an outdoor picnic in the home garden, because it was easier than finding a restaurant and then dealing with all the customers and waiters and shit when there was always a chance they’d be recognized, and another ten times easier than trying to find a decently private spot in the castle.

Keith seemed to be enjoying himself well enough, parked under the same rose arch hey met atin where Keith could admire the red flowers he seemed to enjoy. At least he kept looking and playing with the petals like he liked them, anyway.

“So,” Lance started, taking a bite of out his razzybird sandwich. “This wedding thing. Two weeks.”

Keith nodded, cheeks full with a handful of mixed nuts Lance had just watched him shove into his face. “Goo fweeks,” he agreed.

Okay, that was… whatever. “So what’s the plan, man? Are we gonna like… seriously do this? Are we getting married?”

Keith nodded again, swallowing. “That’s the plan, yeah.”

“Seriously?” Lance asked, nearly dropping his sandwich. “We’re just gonna… go through with this? You don’t have any secret plans to get out of this that would be prudent to share with me?” Like if he were planning on eloping with Lotor, that was a thing Lance should know RIGHT away. Very important.

Keith was starting to look a little annoyed. “No, Lance, I don’t have any plans to ‘get out’ of this marriage. You don’t even get it, do you?”

“What’s to get?” Lance shrugged. “We barely know each other and every time we speak we get into a fight. This seems like a bad start to the rest of our lives, and I feel like there’s gotta be a way out of this that doesn’t make us look bad.”

“Well there isn’t,” Keith said stiffly, dropping the bag of trail mix he’d snacking out of to glare at Lance. “You don’t GET it, do you? This wasn’t some whim our moms came up with we can get out of. This is an alliance planned by the ruling soverns of two great empires, and there’s no ‘getting out’ of a plan made by Lord Zarkon.”

“Awww come on,” Lance scooted closer, trying to make peace. “It can’t be all THAT serious! It’s just your grandpappy, not a demon!”

He poked at Keith’s side, expecting to be swatted away. He was, but only after a burst of squeaky noise from Keith, jolting at the touch like he’d been shocked and not just poked in the belly.

Lance looked at Keith. Keith, turning bright red under his lavender skin, leaned away warily. 

It did nothing to stop Lance. With a grin he was on the attack, poking and tickling at Keith’s sides and being rewarded with Keith’s helpless laughter as the little Galra flailed and wheezed, trying to get Lance off of him.

Lance was having so much fun he didn’t even notice they weren’t alone anymore. Not until a deep, smooth voice asked from just behind Lance, “And what do you think you are doing to Prince Keith, milord?”

Lance jerked his head around to see Lotor, looming like a creeping asshole tree and staring down disapprovingly at Lance. “You know if you’re assaulting him that could be taken as an attack on The Galran Empire itself.”

Keith finally got the chance to kick Lance away, sitting up properly to reassure Lotor with a tired smile. “It’s fine, he was just teasing me. He found out I’m ticklish, that’s all.”

Lotor looked down at them, still seeming like he wanted to scrape Lance off the bottom of his boot. “Perhaps in the future, see that your ‘teasing’ is less… physical.”

He turned to Keith. “I have your communicator,” he finally explained WHY he was even there, tossing Keith a little orange device not dissimilar to Lance’s own phone. “It would be most unwise for you to be caught unawares without it, after all.” He said directly to Lance, like CLEARLY implying that being alone with Lance was a bad thing.

“Thanks,” Lance sneered back, “You can totally go now. We were just talking about things that have nothing to do with you, so.” He made a little waving motion to shoo Lotor off.

Lotor smiled one of those fake smiles that he didn’t even try to pretend was real. “I wasn’t talking to you, I’m afraid. I’ll leave if Keith needs me to leave, and only then.”

“Thank you, Lotor,” Keith finally spoke up, rather than just watching the two of them continue to bicker. “But I’m good, actually. We were just discussing plans for the wedding, so.”

He and Lotor exchanged a long glance, before Lotor nodded. “Very well,” he said, gesturing towards the phone still in Keith’s hand. “Call me if you need anything.”

And with that, he wandered off out of the gardens to leave them alone.

Lance looked back at Keith. 

“Sorry about him,” Keith apologized with a timid smile. “He doesn't mean any harm, he’s just looking out for me.”

Looking out, huh? That or trying to steal his fiancé.

Whether or not that itself was a good thing, Lance knew he NEVER wanted to lose to a guy like Lotor.

(The hoverbike races, incidentally, Lance lost horribly. But it was worth it to spend just one hour with Keith where neither of them had any reason to get mad at the other.)


	4. Chapter 4

The wedding was just over a week away, and everyone was deep in planning mode. There was no time to do anything else, what with this being the Royal Wedding to end all Royal Weddings, two princes from two huge empires coming together in a giant event that was probably going to be televised all the way up to the reception.

Please God, let them at least get a private reception. Lance was good with cameras and even better with the press, but even he had his limits and needed space…

“So, roses for the bouquet and white and red for the wedding colors,” Melenor declared happily. “A little morbid by Altean standards, but I think the Galran guests should appreciate the touch of color!”

“Half of the audience will be Galra,” Krolia agreed, “and most of them will be arriving any day now. Do you have the space to accommodate them all?”

“Quite easily,” Melenor reassured, smiling royally. “The Castle of Lions has been preparing for this even for months in advance.”

“Can I just go on the record once and for all and say,” Lance declared, bored in his seat, “I don’t care about any of this and I’d rather be doing anything else right now?”

Keith snickered beside him, both of them earning a glare from their mothers. He straightened his back. “So, if you don’t care then you won’t object to Lotor being my best man?” He asked, directly to Lance.

“Whoa, I wouldn’t go that far now,” Lance said, hackles rising. “I’m barely even okay with that guy being in the same ROOM with us as we get married, I won’t accept him three feet away from us during the act!”

“I thought,” Krolia interrupted, “That Shiro was supposed to be your best man?”

“He is,” Keith agreed. “I was just throwing out a hypothetical.”

“Fine!” Lance hissed, leaning closer to Keith to try and use his slightly advantageous height against him. “Then what if I suggest you wear a DRESS for the ceremony? I mean, someone’s got to, right?”

“Then it better be  _ you _ ,” Keith sneered back, ears twitching. “Because I’m wearing armor like my ancestors before me did!”

“Armor?!” Lance reeled back. “That better be another joke! I’m not gonna be wearing a normal-ass suit if you’re in ARMOR! I’ll look like a total asshole, no way are you wearing battle armor!”

“No way am I NOT wearing it! That armor was passed down for generations, and it’s the only part of this wedding I was actually looking forward to!”

“Yeah, well the only thing I’M looking forward to is being close enough to spit on your face!”

“Boys,” Krolia said flatly, just a hint of warning in her tone.

But of them backed down again. She shot one last look at Keith, a single eyebrow raised in a universal indication of motherly expectations.

Keith sighed, and turned to Lance. “I’m sorry for… whatever. Do you wanna go practice dancing with me? I’m,” his eyes darted low for a second before he continued, “I don’t have a lot of experience dancing, and I don’t want our first time dancing together to be in front of hundreds of strangers with cameras.”

That… was a really good point. And what was an even more inarguably good point was Keith actually saying he was sorry before Lance even got the chance to acknowledge he was wrong, which meant he was giving the upper hand just by virtue of being the petty one. 

Fine, if Keith could make peace so could Lance. “I’d love to dance with you,” he lied, taking Keith’s offered hand and leading him to the dance hall.

Thankfully it was empty when they got there so they didn’t have to worry about anyone gawking at them or making fun of their shitty dancing. Not that Lance was a bad dancer - oh no, he was brilliant. But Keith was a Galra, and no matter how many diplomatic functions he’d been to he didn’t think he’d ever seen a Galra dancing even once.

Still, the fact that Keith had suggested this at all meant he was at least familiar with dancing as a thing they would have to do, which was… a good sign, he guessed? 

It wasn’t that great of a sign. One hand neutrally on one another’s sides as they held the other hand joined in the air, Lance called for the music to start and began the first steps of a simple waltz. And ended up being yanked around in crude circles as Keith tried to lead in a dance Lance had never even seen before.

“Would you stop that you’re gonna step on my feet!” Lance scolded, trying to tug Keith into dancing something that actually matched the music they were playing. 

“You’re already stepping on mine,” Keith let him lead for about half a second before he was at it again, trying to control the dance when this time he as the one who didn’t know the steps. 

“We can’t both lead, Keith!” Lance dropped his hands with a frustrated grunt. “And before you even SAY ‘then just let me lead’ like I know you’re going to -“

Keith rolled his eyes.

“-I already lost the argument where I’m gonna be in a suit while you’re in fucking ancient battle armor and I’m not gonna be lead around the dance floor like a goddamned princess, while we’re at it!”

That made Keith actually pause. “That’s fair,” he conceded. “I probably won’t be able to dance that well in the armor, anyway. It might be safer for you to lead.”

“So you’re gonna let me this time?” Lace asked, one eyebrow carefully raised in doubt. 

Keith pouted a little, looking like he’d enjoy stepping on Lance’s foot right about now. “I’ll try.”

“Just…” Lance pleaded, looking keith in the eye. “Just work with me here, please?”

“I’m always willing to work with you,” Keith scoffed. “It’s you who always makes everything impossible.”

Lance looked towards the heavens for help, before once again starting up the dance.

There was still a lot of stumbling, a lot of times where Keith unconsciously tried to take the lead again, but with both of them making an active effort this time it went a little smoother.

“Just follow my footsteps,” Lance said, using his grip on Keith’s waist to guide them through the motions of a basic Altean waltz. “See how much better we’re doing already? Don’t look at your feet look at me.”

“But I don’t know the steps,” Keith complained. “How will I learn them if I’m not looking at your feet while you move?”

“Just feel them,” Lance gave him a reassuring smile. “Just stop thinking so hard and let me and the music guide your steps.”

“I’m,” Keith looked embarrassed. “I’m not good at letting other people lead. In anything really, much less…”

Lance nodded, understanding. “It’s hard to let that go. But if you don’t let up just a little bit of control now and then, you can’t be partners with someone.”

He guided them both into a small loop on the dance floor, hoping the demonstration would drive his point home a little. 

They continued to dance in silence for a while, every step gaining a little more grace as they learned their way around each other.

“I’m sorry,” Keith said, after a few minutes of cooperative silence. “I know that you don’t wanna get married and I haven’t made it any easier on you. You’re just really good at pushing all the wrong buttons and riling me up, I think.”

“No,” Lance said with a sigh. “I’m the one who should be sorry. Every time we talk I find a reason to get mad at you, and I know I’m the one who’s always starting all of our fights.”

Keith nodded. “Okay then, as long as we’re both sorry… we can try harder from now on? I really don’t wanna spend the rest of my life arguing with you.”

Lance nodded back, and would have extended his hand to shake on it if they weren’t kind of already holding hands for the dance. “I agree. I’ll try to be less of a spazz.”

“And I’ll try to be less of a dick,” Keith smiled back.

Maybe, if they worked together, everything would turn out alright.

—

It was the night before the day before Lance got married, and he was starting to panic.

“Oh my god, Hunk,” Lance was saying, pacing back and forth in his bed chambers. “Oh my god, I don’t think there’s any way to get out of this. I think I’m getting married in a day, Hunk. I think I’m actually totally one hundred percent going to have to go through with this!”

“Yeah that’s kind of what we’ve been telling you the whole time,” Hunk said tiredly, rolling onto his back on the floor so further examine his news article on feminist cattle-herding from a different angle. 

“I can’t get married Hunk! I’m barely into my twenties, this is supposed to be a time for exploration! For self-discovery, and for sleeping with lots of different hot aliens!”

“Isn’t that what you said about medical school?”

“Yeah, but then I was stuck studying the whole time!” Lance whined, waving his arms in the air. “Graduation was supposed to be when I finally got a breath of freedom, my time of passion and romance! Where am I gonna find passion and romance married to KEITH?”

“Welp. You could always try having that passionate romance with your husband. That’s what most people aim for.”

“Have you even MET Keith?! He’s like, the least romantic person in the universe! And he’s so closed off, the only things I know about him after a full month are that he likes going fast and fighting with swords!”

“Sounds pretty passionate to me.”

Lance saw fit to ignore that comment. “What am I supposed to do, serenade him with flowers and music? He’d probably eat the flowers!” He paused in his tirade. “Well. He does seem to like roses. But maybe it he was just looking at them because he was hungry.”

“We both know that’s stupid. Galra don’t eat flowers, they eat misbehaving little kids. Everyone knows that.”

“Keith’s actually pretty good with kids,” Lance said, remembering the children’s hospital visit. “He really knows how to talk to kids on their own level, makes them feel at ease with him. It was pretty cute.”

“And I guess I gotta admit it,” he continued on. “Keith’s face is pretty cute too. And underneath that ridiculous Galra outfit of his he’s got a slim, tight little bod that a dude can totally appreciate. But that’s hardly enough to make a marriage off of!

“And of course,” He kept going, the pace which he was walking around the room slowing down out of a tirade and into something more considerate. “We did both agree we’d try to be better, which proves he must be like. Not so completely obstinate that I’ll never win any argument in our entire lives.

“Plus you know, arguing with him can be kind of fun. Like, it really gets the blood pumping, knowing there’s someone who won’t step down just because I’m a prince, or even just because I annoyed him into it like I can do with Allura and my parents.”

“And me,” Hunk added helpfully.

“And like,” Lance continued, completely in his own world away from Hunk and the rest of Altea. “It’s also true that I can’t think of nearly anyone else I could marry I’d really be EQUALS with. I’ve met other princes and princesses before, but none of them had the attitude or abilities that made me really feel like we could keep up with each other. Me and Keith seem to always be in sync, even if it does only lead to fights.”

“Sounds like you got yourself a match,” Hunk said, closing his phone. “Like someone you might ask out yourself, if you weren’t already engaged to him.”

“Not even a little!” Lance bit back, head turning to Hunk so fast he swore he heard a snap. “What are you talking about, just because he’s beautiful and badass and challenges me on a personal level I’m supposed to…”

He paused. “Hunk, am I an idiot?”

“Oh yeah.”

“I’m an idiot with a crush, aren’t ?”

“Glad you finally caught up.”

“I’m an idiot getting married in a day.”

“That,” Hunk said, giving him a sympathetic smile. “You most definitely are.”

Lance sucked in a deep breath. “This is either going to end up being very very bad, or very very good.”

“Yeah, but. Either way it’ll be a hell of a ride, right?”

—


	5. Chapter 5

The halls were fully decorated and filled with guests, all in preparation for the grand ceremony. The wedding of a lifetime, two princes coming together from two great kingdoms to unite them forever, and, uh…. Lance was completely petrified.

He was gonna fuck this up, he was pretty sure. There were way too many people, way too many things he had to do in front of those two many people, too many chances to screw up and too many reasons NOT to go through with this in the first place.

Like for example, the fact that he barely knew his groom at all! That seemed like a huge reason NOT to marry someone, but here they were, with the ceremony starting up any minute now and Lance hyperventilating into his hands. 

The music started up. Lance heard it, and knew that it meant he was supposed to walk outside and meet Keith, to march down the aisle together. Right behind him in a line of groomsmen and bridesmaids waiting to march with them, Hunk patted his shoulder and Allura and Pidge both gave him an encouraging thumbs up. 

Nodding to himself, Lance sucked in a deep breath. Opened the doors, and stepped outside to meet his destiny. 

The music was loud, much louder than it had been during the rehearsal yesterday. And then he turned to the left and saw standing there beside him his groom, already lout of his own door and waiting for Lance.

He looked… fucking resplendent. Keith was wearing his family’s armor as promised, but Lance had no idea he would look so good in it. Or that it would even fit, which it turns out it totally did, and he wore it like a badass. 

Lance didn’t have time to ogle though, as they were taking each other’s hands to walk to the aisle together. 

A few feet in and already sweating profusely, Lance whispered a frantic, “What’s your favorite color?” He should know that right? Keithusually wore traditional Galran colors but that didn’t mean red and purple were actually the colors he LIKED.

Keith just looked at him with a confused expression, shaking his head a little in refusal to answer.

“I’m serious!” Lance whispered again, trying to stay focused on looking forward at the priest they were walking towards. “What’s your favorite thing to eat?” He didn’t remember a single thing Keith had eaten the entire time they were together. How was that even possible? They had had SO MANY meals together!

“Lance!” Keith hissed back, as quietly as they could as they approached the priest and took their places in front of him, finally urging to face each other.

“Do you like cats or dogs?” Lance asked one more time, his last shot at learning anything before they were officially married.

“Dogs, shut up now please!”

The priest coughed, and both of them stopped whispering to look up at him. 

He started his long speech about commitment and union and whatever else it was about, Lance had listened the first time but right now it was all white noise to his freaking out a little bit here. The priest tied their hands together with a long length of red rope, a complicated clover-looking knot around their wrists to symbolize two people joining together as one. A Galran tradition brought into the mostly Altean ceremony.

“And do you take this man, to honor and to have, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?” The priest asked as he finished tying, looking directly at Lance.

Why did Lance have to be the one he asked first? Gods above, he didn’t know! This was all too fast and too much, this was a marriage and -

Keith squeezed his hand. 

“I do,” Lance said, looking into Keith’s eyes and feeling himself relax.

Keith gave him the slightest smile. “I do.”

“You may now kiss the groom,” The priest announced, and Lance and Keith both paused with hesitation at the realization this would be the first time they’d ever done that.

Shit, not like there was any reason to second guess this when he’d just said ‘I do.’ Lance closed his eyes and leaned in. He didn’t quite hit Keith square on the mouth, more the corner of his lips, but apparently the crowd didn’t notice. There was a roar of cheering and clapping rising up to meet their awkward kiss.

They had to walk back down the aisle now, which was fun considering they were tied together and people were throwing rice and confetti at their heads as they passed. At least all their groomsmen and bridesmaids had to follow them back too, so when they reached the reception hall of the castle where the party was being held they weren’t alone in their newly nuptial… bliss.

While all of the guests were flooding in from the ceremony hall into the reception room Lance and Keith were congratulated by their closest friends and family members, and a couple of Keith’s cousins who he didn’t seem to know very well and had therefore probably been invited into the ceremony as a courtesy because Keith only liked two people in the world and Lance had four groomsmen to match. 

And then their parents came in, and a bunch of really important diplomats Lance didn’t know, and they had to shake hands with a bunch of people while still tied together, which was just. So rude?? Of all the people trying to shake hands right now? Like just let it go for today, his hands were literally tied up.

Once all of the guests who were actually invited to the after party were all about there or so, the speeches began. First was Shiro’s to Keith, an odd Galran salute to commitment and honor that was scarier than it was encouraging. The next was Lance’s own maid of honor his older sister Allura, who gave a speech befitting of a crown princess who knew a lot was riding on this marriage politically. It was also scarier than it was encouraging.

Plus he was pretty sure he saw Shiro and Allura making googly eyes at each other for that second in between their two speeches where he had to hand the attention of the crowd over to her. Which was like, so fucked up?? Why couldn’t the arranged marriage have just been between THEM and saved Keith and Lance all the trouble!

Also, now that Lance could see it, Lotor was 100% glaring daggers at Lance like, the entire time. He and Keith were gonna have to talk about that guy, and soon…

For now though, there wasn’t time. They had to endure this party and all their friends and families, and most of all they had to be tied together like cattle the entire time. Whatever truce they had made the other night wasn’t enough to stop them from constantly yanking each other into one another’s space at every turn, and the stumbling around was enough to make everyone in the general vicinity snicker at them.

Which is why Lance was looking forward to their first dance so much, what with being tied to someone wearing battle armor and all. But the time of their first dance came sooner rather than later, and soon the music was flaring up and they were alone on the dance floor.

The complicated knot left them just enough room on their wrists to be able to clasp hands like they had the other night, and so they placed their hands on each other’s waist in their totally-equal-to-each-other dancing stance they had already practiced.

Lance was already irritated and tired and nervous about fucking this up, and he wasnn’t looking forward to this at all. But then Keith said to him, “Hey, Lance?” And when Lance stopped looking at their feet or their joined hands to finally look Keith in the eye again, he finished, “Just… try to relax. Us being stressed out won’t get us anywhere.”

And somehow, just that word ‘us,’ just that acknowledgement that it Lance may be miserable but he wasn’t alone in it… was enough. And he’d never be alone in it again. Because from now on, he’d have Keith. Keith was going to be there, as his husband, ready to roll his eyes or whisper encouragements when Lance was too nervous to move. 

And Keith was waiting patiently for him to start the dance.

Lance took one step to the left, and Keith went with him. The dance went on almost exactly as easy as that first step, even with the stumbling a little over Keith’s clunky armor it only ended up making them giggle this time instead of argue.

Keith let Lance lead him all over the floor, seemed this time to almost enjoy the opportunity to give up a little control. It was probably less elegant than their practice dance had been when they were both in normal clothing and not tied together, but this time both of them of them were just a little bit more in sync with each other. Not because of something as silly as the rings now adorning their fingers, but just because now they were both trying harder to get along than they had been before. And effort made all the difference in a relationship.

The music ended and other dancers flooded the floor for the next song, but Land and Keith weren’t quite finished with their dance. A few more slow steps as they danced to a stop, still gazing into each other's eyes for long moments after.

"We should probably go get something to eat," Lance said eventually, breaking their silence. "We aren't going to have a lot of chances tonight."

Keith nodded, still looking quite adorably like he wasn't prepared to leave quite yet. But he did follow Lance off the dance floor, which he kind of had to do anyway considering they were still tied together.

They ended up at their huge table in front of everyone, but Lance’s family was busy either dancing or talking to the other Very Important guests and Keith’s was doing something similar but with less dancing, they were finally practically alone.

...Only  _ less _ dancing, Lance noticed, seeing Allura change dancing partners from Shiro to Lotor in between songs. Less was not the same as none. Apparently Galra did dance plenty, if there was a pretty enough girl involved.

Speaking of Lotor, though, there were still a few unanswered questions Lance felt they needed to talk about. “So,” Lance started, comfortable that no one was listening to them for a few minutes at least. “Why did uh… Why did Lotor show up about three weeks before all the other guests did?”

“Um,” Keith bit his lip, eyes darting away. “That was sort of on me. I didn’t ask him to come, but… I did call him the first day after we met.”

“Oh,” Lance said. “And what did… you tell him?”

“That you were an ass with no manners whatsoever.”

Lance considered that. “So he came… so scope me out? See if I was good enough for you?”

Keith shyly nodded. “Mostly, yeah. Maybe whip you into shape if you were TOO much of an asshole, you know? I didn’t tell him to or anything, he just… took on upon himself.”

Keith took in a deep breath, setting down his fork. “The two of us… we were the only kids on all of Daibazaal who were half Altean. And both of us got picked on it for it a lot, but like. I don’t know if you noticed, but out of the two of us, Lotor is the only one who inherited a Galra’s height so. I ended up getting picked on a little more because of it, and he just got… overprotective, after that.”

Lance nodded. “I can understand that. And I guess I get why he doesn’t like me, since you and I have such a hard time seeing eye to eye sometimes.” He paused. “But for the record, I don’t think I’ll ever like him either, so. You’re just gonna have to get used to your husband and best friend hating each other.”

Keith laughed, simple and honest and it made Lance’s heart kind of bleed. But in a good way, maybe? “That’s okay. I’ve got to move here to Altea and he still lives on Daibazaal, so. I won’t be seeing a whole lot of him in person, I don’t think.”

Lance frowned. Well that wasn’t right. For some reason he’d never considered that Keith was leaving behind everything he knew and loved to move here for a marriage he didn’t even want to be a part of… God, Lance had been an ass. He’d only been thinking about his own needs this entire time, and here Keith had uprooted his entire life and was STILL trying to make this work.

“We’ll go back,” Lance promised suddenly, surprising both of them. “To Daibazaal, I mean. I’ll take you back to visit whenever we’re not too busy with work, so you can see Lotor and your mom and whoever else you’ve had to leave behind to come here.”

Keith’s smile was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. “Thank you, Lance. Just for caring enough to say that, even if we never go through with it.”

This time, the promise Lance made was silent, and only to himself. But it was the same promise he’d made out loud. He’d definitely take Keith home someday.

So, after dinner, there was only a little bit of the party left. Enough time to be bothered by Hunk and Pidge, who, being Lance’s two best friends in the entire world, had to poke as much fun at him as possible for getting married to a cute half galra whom he may or may not have some kind of stirring of romantic feeling for. Yeah, his friends were absolute bitches. He loved them.

They finally cut the cake with their tied hands, and everyone cheered, mostly because it was the last official event of the night and it meant everyone could get as drunk as they wanted. Which they did. And no one bothered to take their time in it at all.

So yeah, another hour of a constant stream of people congratulating the newly wedded couple except now they were drunk and would ramble on about their own arranged marriages to them, in either boring or excruciating detail. It got the point where Keith looked like he was ready to fall asleep on Lance’s shoulder where they were attached, and Lance was more than ready to call it a night himself.

They managed to excuse themselves on the excuse that the grooms needed a little private time to explore their marriage, a line which made everyone laugh. Either way it got them the fuck out of there, and once they were away Lance realized he had no idea who’s room they were actually going to.

“Yours,” Keith said when Lance finally just gave up and asked. “Someone will have moved my things into your room by now, I was never supposed to stay in mine permanently.”

Lance nodded, and the two of them reached the doorway to Lance’s room in minutes. “Normally this is where I’d carry you over the threshold,” Lance said, looking down at their still tied-hands. “But considering I’m short a hand I’m not sure that would work.”

“You probably couldn't lift me in all this armor anyway,” Keith said casually. “It’s so heavy, I’ve been sweating all day.”

Lance glared at Keith. “Can’t even do it? Is that a challenge? Because I could EASILY lift you, armor or not.”

“Not right now, Lance,” Keith pleaded. “I’m way too tired for this.”

That was fair enough, even if Lance’s competitive spirit did want to do it just out of spite. Instead they walked inside Lance’s room, the old bed noticeably replaced by a newer and larger one, and a new wardrobe and end table added to one side of the room. 

Huh. Good thing his room had already been too big to begin with, and could stand to have some space filled anyway. “So can we safely untie this knot yet? What’s the tradition? I don’t think I can sleep with it on.”

“No, we aren’t supposed to sleep with it,” Keith explained, and Lance watched as a blush blossomed on his cheeks. “We’re supposed to remove it once we um. Consummate the marriage.”

Lance stared at the knot joining their wrists. “But… How are we even supposed to get our clothes off when our hands are tied together?”

“I don’t know man,” Keith shook his head. “I just know what they tell me.”

They both stared at the knot, then looked back at the bed. “Well clearly we’re not going to… tonight.” Lance said pragmatically. “We should just untie it, right?”

“Right,” Keith agreed. “Tonight is definitely too soon to…”

He also trailed off, leaving the sentence in silence. 

Lance swallowed, looking at Keith. It was too soon to have sex, but maybe it wasn’t too soon for a real kiss. One that was just for the two of them, and not for the ceremony or their families or the press.

“Can I kiss you?” Lance asked, hoping the question wasn’t out of the blue.

Flushing even brighter, Keith nodded again. “Okay.”

Tentatively, Lance leaned in. Keith let his eyes flutter closed nervously, and Lance realized this time He’d need to keep his own open at least long enough to actually hit the mark this time, which was just so awkward…

Fortunately for both of them Lance was indeed an expert marksman on occasion and could, if he kept his eyes open long enough, be relied on to actually hit where he aimed on occasion. So this time when he leaned in his lips hit their mark square, and the kiss was…

Weird. It was just a press of lips on lips, a little warm, a little exciting, but mostly just… a normal kiss. The tiniest spark, a hint of compatibility, a taste of things to come that weren’t quite there yet, and that was all.

It was all it needed to be, for tonight. The rest would come later with time and effort, but for right now they had tried and succeeded and were able to untie the stupid knot that had been tying them together all night.

Once the knot was off? They didn’t even bothered finishing taking off their clothing before they were collapsing half dressed into the bed and passing out. 

They slept long and hard, grateful to finally be three feet away from each other for the first time all night.

And in the morning? It was a brand new day.

—

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea where I’m going or what I’m doing please help


End file.
